REVUE BELGE DE NUMISMATIQUE ET DE SIGILLOGRAPHIE BELGISCH TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR NUMISMATIEK EN ZEGELKUNDE PUBLIÉE UITGEGEVEN SOUS LE HAUT PATRONAGE ONDER DE HOGE BESCHERMING DE S. M. LE ROI VAN Z. M. DE KONING PAR LA DOOR HET SOCIÉTÉ ROYALE KONINKLIJK BELGISCH DE NUMISMATIQUE DE BELGIQUE GENOOTSCHAP VOOR NUMISMATIEK CUV - 2008 BRUXELLES BRUSSEL HENRI POTTIER (*) - Ingrid SCHULZE - WOLFGANG SCHULZE (**) PSEUDO-BYZANTINE COINAGE IN SYRIA UNDER ARAB RULE (638 -c. 670) CLASSIFICATION AND DATING (Pl. III-X) Part 1. TypoIogy and metrologicaI anaIysis 1. Introduction The aim of the present study is to establish a rational chronological order and a possible dating of the various types, classes and series of Pseudo-Byzantine coinage. The term Pseudo-Byzantine covers ail the imitations of Byzantine folles minted in Syria after the Arab conquest and before the first reform of the Arab authority introduced Arab mint­ marks on the folles. In other words, the term Pseudo-Byzantine covers ail the imitations that have no Arabie inscriptions or any Greek reference to the Arab mints. These imitations are characterised by generally blun­ dered inscriptions, pseudo-mintmarks, officinae and dates probably with­ out meaning. The iconography of the obverse imitates Byzantine types, however the Syrian engravers were not necessarily using as a model the contemporary type produced by the imperial mints, but one of the type that was circulating at that time in Syria, eventually obverse and reverse from different models (e.g. the rare type with Phocas and Leontia). In other words they were not producing forgeries but local currency in the Byzantine style. They include: Fig. 1 and 2 Class 1 - Prototype and imitation (*) Henri POTTIER, e-mail: [email protected]. (**) Ingrid and Wolfgang SCHULZE, e-mail: [email protected]. RBN, 154, 2008, p. 87-155. 88 HENRI POTTIER - INGRID SCHULZE - WOLFGANG SCHULZE Class 1 0 bverse with three figures LI Imitations of Cyprus folles (Heraelius, Heraelius Constantine and Martina in ehlamys), generally dated regnal year XUII, offieina r Ua with pseudo-mintmark KYIIP (and its blundered forms) Ub with pseudo-mintmark CON (and its blundered forms) Ue with pseudo-mintmark THEUP (and its blundered forms) L1d eombined forms between a, b, e and others 1.2 Imitations of Constantinopolitan folles, regnal years 30-31, with Heraelius in military dress Fig. 3 and 4 Class II - Prototype and imitation Class II Obverse with two figures 11.1 Heraclius and Heraclius Constantine in ehlamys Small module imitations of Constantinopolitan folles, regnal years 3 ta 6 (') II.2 Heraclius in military dress and Heraelius Constantine in ehlamys Small module imitations of Constantinople folles, regnal years 20 ta 30 or Neapolis folles, regnal years 25-26 II.2a Rev. M II.2b Rev. m II.3 Phoeas and Leontia Fig. 5 and 6 Class III - Prototype and imitation (1) H. POTTIER, Le monnayage de la Syrie sous l'occupation perse (610-630) (Cahier, Ernest Babelon, 9), Paris, 2004, Type A.t. PSEUDO-BYZANTINE COINAGE IN SYRIA UNDER ARAB RULE 89 Class III Obverse with bust IlL1 Imitations of Constans II Constantinopolitan folles, regnal years 3 and 11 IIUa with obverse inscription einper-conste IIUb without inscription IILlc bust between star and crescent III.2 dated year XX e) Fig. 7 and 8 Class IV - Prototype and imitation Class IV Obverse with standing emperor Imitations of Constans II Constantinopolitan folles Group a Rev. M Group b Rev. m Group c AITOIE: Cl (lighter module) 2. Tentative classification procedure applied to Cyprus folles iIni­ tations (Class 1) 2.1 As a starting point, we tried to determine the parameters by which a chronological order of the various series of the Class 1 could be estab­ lished. The choice of this Class 1 for starting the study results from the evidence, that this class was a first issue of a Syrian mint after the Arab conquest. Indeed, except for two specimens out of more than 250, there is no trace of a copy of any characteristic of Constans II coins. On the contrary, these characteristics are observed on the classes III and IV, i.e. traces of the inscriptions from Constans II coins, Obv.: EN TOUTO NIKA, INPER-CONST, Rev.: ANA NEOS, O<l>A, KWN-CTAN As possible parameters, for analysing Class I, we recorded various characteristics: Inscriptions: defining various types based on reverse pseudo-mint­ mark, officina and date (like the classification adopted for the Syrian coins issued during the Persian occupation ('): (2) S.J. MANSFIELD, A Byzantine Irregular Issue oî « Year 20", in N'Circ, April 1992, p. 81 f. (3) A. ODDY, The Chrisiian Coinage o{ Early Muslim 5yria?, in ARAM, 15, 2003, p. 185-196. (4) H. POTTIER, op. cii. ln. 1]. 90 HENRI POTTIER - INGRID SCHULZE - WOLFGANG SCHULZE Metrology: weight, (5) diameter, die axis, shape of the coin (eut, ellip­ tic, circular, polygonal), shape of the border (circular, elliptic). Stylistic characteristics (see fig. 9): übverse characteristics crosses between heads head: shape of the head face-crown-hair-beard globus cruciger: above a line, ..., long cross fibula: normal, vertical, horizontal, without chlamys: various designs of the folds figure (date?) in the obverse right field Reverse characteristics: monogram or cross above M Also to he discussed: overstrikes, barbarous imitations, empress crown of Martina. tt€~ Ü:':',Wtn -.' B}u~~ '.' "1.- 9 ~I ri...~ L L. r l\ 1 \ , Fig. 91 Stylistic characteristics 2.2 In a second step, in order to reduce the number of parameters, we checked whether there is sorne correlation between the various parame­ ters or whether sorne parameters are meaningless, particularly those re­ ferring to the stylistic characteristics. The various series were then classified according a proposed chronological order, considering the data (5) In the metrological deveIopments we refer ta the" weight » of the folles, but the values mentioned result from the measurement of their mass expressed in gram (weight shouId in theory be expressed in Newton). PSEUDO-BYZANTINE COINAGE IN SYRIA UNDER ARAB RULE 91 given by metrology, possible overstrikes, die links or similarities with other Pseudo-Byzantine series. 2.3 Categories of pseudo-mintmarks (a) KYIlP and blundered forms al KYIlP aIl KPI a2l KYO[.] a2 HKIlP a12 oKVc a22 KYZ a3 KYIlP (allletters retro.) a13 KYIlPI a23 KYP (inverted) a4 KIlP a14 KYH a24 KrV[ ]0 a5 oKYP a15 o IlKP (K retro.) a25 OVKP a6 KAP a16 KAlI a26 [ ]YKr a7 ClIP a17 KIlO a27 VIlPc a8 CYK (K retro.) a18 [..K] (K retro.) a28 o/CIlV (C retro.) a9 KYIl a19 KYNP a29 KVIlPo alO onvr (r retro.) a20 KYPO a30 oxrr (b) CON and blundered forms bl CON b8 (.)ON b15 CON (N retro.) b2 CONN b9 CON (C retro.) b16 oCO (inverted) b3 oCO blO CONB b17 C(retro.)OCO b4 oCCO b11 CON\O b18 CHa (C retro.) b5 OKON b12 CNO (allletters retro.) b19 CN b6 oC (C retro.) b13 UOC (C retro.) b20 COr?] (C retro.) b7 UON (N retro.) b14 OCN (N retro.) b2l BO[..] (c) THEUP and blundered fonns cl THEUP c5 ECP c9 TErO[K]Y c2 HEUP c6 EIlP clO EYIlO c3 EUVPo c7 HEU c11 suru c4 THP c8 NEU... c12 OECP (d) Combined forms between a, b, c and others dl HIlT d7 [CO]TK d13 VVK (K retro.) d2 U... d8 CAO (C retro.) d14 eEC d3 CVN (N retro.) d9 CUO d15 KEa d4 rCHO dlO OU. d16 N (retro) YK d5 OhO d11 [OS]? d6 EK[N] d12 UCU 3. Genuine Cyprus folles and imitations 3.1 We shaIl consider as genuine Cyprus folles coins meeting the foIlow­ ing criteria: Reverse: monogram 1 (see fig. 9) above the M officina r KYIlP mintmark, generaIly without exergual line dates: figures 17 to 19 carefully designed Obverse: Martina wears an empress crown The shape of the coin is generally defined by four arcs of a circie. Other coins not meeting these criteria will be cIassified as imitations of Cyprus folles. 92 HENRI POTTIER - INGRID SCHULZE - WOLFGANG SCHULZE 3.2 In contrast to the Syrian imitations minted during the Persian occu­ pation, the dates, officinae figures and mintmarks of the Cyprus imita­ tions appear to be meaningIess. However, we used the pseudo-mintmarks as criteria for classification. For exampIe, a coin similar to the genuine (' Cyprus » production of the year X/UIII shonld be classified as type: 17-ra1 Even if they are without meaning in the definition of the location of the mint, they could indeed bring sorne indications about the periods of production (see MetroIogy 7.2). 4. Characteristics of the various types Number of specimens per date Date 6 9 12 13? 1Ij, 15 16 17 18 19 20 23 Kyrp 1 2 4 96 9 1 CON 1 1 1 1 5 6 22 1 8 1 THEUP 1 10 15 1 Number of specimens per officina Officina A B r I!> € Crescent KYIIP 4 4 112 1 2 CON 11 4 31 4 2 THEUP 11 17 1 Comments: The KYTIP and CON types have very similar characteristics: a major­ ity of year 17 and officina I'. However the CON type has a Iarger num­ ber of dates and more specimens dated 20 than the KYIIP type. The THEUP type differs from KYTIP type by a larger number of date 14 (37% compared to 0%) and of officina B (38% compared to 3%). 5. Die links (see catalogue 1) 5.1 Die links between types One link is recorded between KYTIP, CON and d-types. Obv. die no. 5 is linked to rev. dies KYTIP no. 8 to Il, to rev. die CON no. 7, and to rev. die type d no.